Theater construction



0d; 21, 1941. LIEHBURG 2,259,646

THEATER CONSTRUCTION Oct. 21, 1941. M. L'IEHBURG 2,259,646 THEATER CONSTRUCTION Fild July 16, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 tive seen from the auditorium, and. g

Figure 6 is an illustration looking from the Patented Oct. 21, 1941 PA NT OFFICE it 4 ilrlinhriaizfiziginuorion I r '.Maxillduard1iieliburgj Basle; Switzerland unleashing 1c, 1938, Serial No. 219,624 v In Switzerland-July 17,1937

j tennis. sac- 1.12) g V The theater 1 design or. constructionaccording to the invention has at .least two main stages without curtains located Eone behindthe other, arranged at a .diiferent levelandsimultaneously and continuously visible by an audience in seats on the audience floor, the ends of the main stages being formed as extensions which run in'the form of galleries at least partially around the audience floor and consequently at least partially encompass the audience floor. The extensions in the form of galleries of the differentstages are at different levels. v

By the arrangement of at least twosimulta- .neously visible stages, which. are at different levels and which have lateral projections extend-' ing partially or wholly around the auditorium,

. new possibilities for the theater are .given; for,

corresponding to the number of stages, much stage surface is simultaneously available for the acting, and lateral stage projections ofa g llery nature are available for the development of the acting and thus permits of shifting the stage action over and around the auditorium. '1 V An example of carrying outthe invention .is

shown on the accompanying drawings, in which auditorium towards the stages and their lateral extensions.

I indicates the auditorium, the audience floor of which is provided with rows of seats {which risestepwise backwardly, In Figure the rows 2 are not shown. The front rows of seats are arranged in the immediate vicinity. of a stage surface 3 formed by a circular platform. In Figures 1-3, 4 indicates a verticalwall thelower part of which is cylindrical and limits the audience the arceshaped stage I. 8 indicates two sets of 'chorusseats arranged in the auditorium I to the left and right of and in front of the foremost 'stage- 6; these two sets of chorus seats 8 to a certain extent lengthen the rows of seats 2 of the audiencelaterally and towards the front so that the audience is in close proximity to the choruses. Two stairways H connect an outer gangway 9 provided along the outside wall 4 with an inner gangway l0 located eccentrically theretor The'two gangways 9 and. I0 merge into the stage surface 3 and serve both as means of access to the rows of seats, and also in particular as acting space or stage.

=(Figures l', 2, of the building).

; tend up to the front marginal ends of the stage side away from the audience floor, V shut off by a rear wall I 3.

6. Walls l2 connect on to theends of the stage 1,'that is, onto the other front edge. At the the stage 1 is Above the gangway 9 there is a wide, horizontal-gallery l4,- according to Figure 3, which at its ends between the wall ends 4'and the walls I2 is connected by steps I5 with the ends of the stage 6. This gallery. 14 which is to be used as a stage by the actors in the same way and in gen- 6,- is provided with the same coulisses as this eral also simultaneously with the stage 6, and which directly communicates with the said stage stage'fi, so that it appears to the spectators as a nected at its ends between the walls l2 and the rearstage wall I3, by steps I! (Figures 1, 2|) with the ends of the stage 1,. and is fitted up in the sameway as the stage 1, so that the gallery l6 Y represents both for the audience and also for the actors, a projection of the stage 1. The two galleries l4 and 16 form so-called horizontal stages floor of the auditorium in the main towards the outside. The auditorium wall 4 has entrances 5 (Figure 1) and in the region of the stages 6 and y 1, provided in the vicinity of the stage part 3, is

located above the auditorium. The gallery I6 is, according to Figure 2, considerably wider over a L'la'rge part of its length-than the gallery I4 10- cated below it, so that it correspondingly pro- -jects in the direction'towards the audiencefloor.

I8 (Figures2,.3) indicates a dancing and gymnastic hall, 19 (Figures 1, 3) isa stagefoundaing surface 3, and can be regarded together with this as a stage which is placed in and around the auditorium. The stage halves and thus the parts of the gangways 9, I0 and the galleries I4 and I6 are located symmetrically to the longitudinal central plane II of the theater buildings. The acting surface 3, the gangway l0, and the front part of the rows of seats enclosed thereby are on a circular platform 22. From the acting surface 3 and from the are-hapeastages 6 and 1, the actors can pass into the gangway 9 or into the galleries l4 and I6 allocated to the.,

corresponding stages and speak parts from thef',"""' S0 that the audience is quite in the ififi dfwfififf l .i'ifiigng the seats also being free of seats stages which are at difiererit 'levus'nom'ea cnother, with their gallery-like projections'running";

around and which are freely visible'i frtifirftfie auditorium and naturally can be used as required for acting purposes, give to the audience'th'edin pression of being surrounded by stages The surrounding wall of the -auditorium servesattl-ie same time as side scene or wings wall,-so that the audience is seated in thecenter of whatis takin'gpla'ce.

In Figure 5- a few-actors'are shown-by-way'of illustration on the'acting space-3 and also onthe stage. 6 and on the gallery I4 extending-therefrom to the right and left'thereof, and in Figures 6 others are shown onthe higher stage (1) andon thegall'e'ry (16) connecting at theleft and right to stage '1. Figure 6 gives 'aview, fromthe rear of the audience fio'or toward the-stages-and their respective lateralyextensions. It can be seen from this that the wings of each *stage prog je'ct into the lateral extensions-outwardly-of the audience floor, and each represents a unit or complete world. By the style of its wings, for example, by Grecianbuildingson one stage and Egyptian buildings onthe other, or by't'lie'colorof the stage lighting "and the j-like, each stage can-be sharply separated, with its iateraleextension, from the other stage. 'Each stage canisymbolise by its decoration and by-the acting "Which takesgplace on it, a separate -wo'rld. for

example, the first stage can represent thegpre'sent, the second stage the historical world; and the'third the mythological-or cosmos; Represen- -tations completelyindependent :of 'each. other which for'exainpleta-keplace'in'diflerent regions and "at the same or different, periods, can "be actions on *tion with theacting-on the other-stages.

Thejcircula-racting surface-B and alsothe arc- 7, shaped stagest and 1 arearrangedso that-they -canbe lowered. The "stage '1 can, lforxaniple,

be 'so lowered thatitsupper :side comes flush with that of the'stage'fi, wherebythe surface of the latter is correspondinglyenlarged. ,The proje'c-.

tions Fin the form of galleries-of the stages-can if desired only wextend over "a part of. the space around the auditorium. w A v .v

- As can be seen from'Figures B'and 4, :theiceiling 23 of theibuilding cover-ingthewhole pfthe V vorablepfor sound reflection'when, for exa'mple,

speaking 'takes place from the tbpmostwga'llery I claim:

1. A theater comprising an auditorium having a floor; a first portion of said floor being provided with seats for an audience; a plurality of stepped, arcuate, curtainless main stages at successively higher levels in the direction away from said seats; said main stages being in front of said seats so as to be simultaneously and constantly visible by an audience in said seats; a second portion of the fioor adjacent the lowest of said main stages and in front of said seats being free of seats and reserved for acting; a third portion of said floor extending from the second portion randreserved for-acting! a fourth portion of said near; at theperiphery of the portion provided 'with seats, be'ing free of seats and reserved for atifigfl steps connecting the third and fourth portiens-of said floor, said main stages being 20 praviad at their lateral ends with extensions .fbrming gallery like stages which lie at different heights with-'respect'to each other'a'n'd with re- "sneer =t0 tl'iei'r *respective main stages and extend 12a iea'stpa'rtiauy around the audience floor and 4 th'iis encompass mand'wans extending upwardly at the Sids' cr me main stages to the front part of the respective gallery-like stages.

'Zl. A tl 'ieater comprising an' auditorium hav- 'i-zi a fibur j abortion of s-and abor 'being provided r'dws' of seats r02 audience; a plurality "6f stepped, 'arcu'ate, curtainless main stages at successively higher levels in the direction away train said seats; said rnain stages being in front of 's'iiid seats s'o as to be simultaneously and conl ie at differ'ent heights with respect to eachother an with nspect to their respective 'main stages f t'ag lr ead in mater the irer'enost of said stepped and-extend at leas't ipartially around the audience fidr and tlius encompass it, w'alls extendlague warden thfe -sid's 0f the 'main stages to the front or the respective gallery-like rowser chorus seats at both sides stagsysaia chorus seatsprmongm the audience v seat rows laterally and forwardly.

3-. h flieater com risin an-auditorium having a fioor having a portion reserved for'anaiidience mice in i said se'aits, silt-id t e minced ir'o'ws {of seats, a --plurality of stepped, ar-coats, curtaiz'uess mam stages being simultaneously and constantly visible b'y 'an audchain stages being provided at their ltitefaIlds'iwit'hextnsions forming gallery-like stages which extend above the audience floor at diilerent heights with respect to each other and also with respect toth'eir respective n'iaiin stagesgat "least partially around th'e audieife fldor "and thus encompass it, steps permeatingsaid-gallery-like stages "with their re- "s cti've main-stages, the u'pprr'nos't of said galdeity-like 's'tags ex tendingunwar'dly in the di- Erection on he audience floor beyon'd thei'lb'wer gauler'y like the ganeny-t'ike stage mote -i eaudience near, 'an' tlie sides f -'t 

